


Relmer Stuff

by Relmer Queen (kaywritesfanfic)



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Fluffy, M/M, relmer - Freeform, relmer fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-08-26 09:12:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 5,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16678777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaywritesfanfic/pseuds/Relmer%20Queen
Summary: Relmer is the cutest ship hands down and I'm putting more content into the world because everyone sleeps on this ship. Sorry they're so short.





	1. Just some fluff

Race looked at the boy that was laying in his arms. He noticed that he hadn’t said anything in the past hour. “Hey, what’s up? You’re quiet.”

Elmer shrugged and snuggled closer to Race. “I’ve been thinking.”

“That’s never good,” Race teased. He felt satisfactory when he saw Elmer crack a smile. “No, seriously, what’s up?”

“Do you ever think about how different our lives would be if we didn’t make the choices we did?”

Race pondered the question for a bit. “It never crossed my mind. Why?”

Elmer shrugged again. “I was thinking about how different my life would be if I’d never met you.”

“Why would you think that?”

“It makes me better appreciate what I have right now.”

“And that is?”

Elmer smiled. “You.” He felt Race plant a kiss on the top of his head and he melted.

“You’re such a sap.”

Elmer laughed and move his head to face Race. He felt his face drop a little. “Say we didn’t meet….”

Race leaned in and left a small kiss on his lips. He started rubbing Elmer’s cheek with his thumb. “No matter what life we’re in, and no matter where we are, I will always fall in love with you. Every time.”

Elmer grinned and rested his head on Race’s chest. “Now who’s the sap?”

“Still you.”

“And you.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that.”


	2. Halloween

If there was one thing Race and Elmer loved more than Halloween, it was candy. Even though they were adults, they never failed to go Trick-Or-Treating every year. They usually took Les with them to make it less suspicious, but it was mostly for them.

This Halloween, Les was unavailable, so they had to go by themselves. It would be awkward, but they were determined to get their candy. They picked matching outfits for this year, and everyone wanted them to throw them away. Race chose for them to do a non-gender-bent version of Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked. Race chose Glinda because he wanted to wear a bright pink dress. Elmer had to paint his body green. He complained through the process but was ecstatic when it was done. 

Race grabbed the bright, pastel pink dress and white tights. He grabbed glitter from the closet, ran to the bathroom, and powdered himself with it. He looked in the mirror and smiled at the reflection.

Elmer ran to his closet and grabbed his outfit. He put on the dark, flowy robes and placed the hat on his head. He hurried to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “You almost ready babe?”

“Yeah!” Race answered, opening the door. He flaunted his costume to Elmer. “How do I look?”

Elmer hid his smile. “You’re going to look like a fairy for a month.”

“Fine by me,” Race said, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend.

Elmer laughed into the kiss. “You’re going to get glitter on me. I can’t get glitter on me before we go out.”

Race pouted. “You’re no fun.”

“Look,” Elmer said, “I promise that you can rub your glitter on me when we get back.” Elmer didn’t realize how he worded his sentence until Race raised his eyebrow. “Oh, God. No! Down boy.” 

Race laughed and grabbed his wand from the room. He got a picture of the two of them together and smiled wide. “Let’s go get some candy.”

The first house was very hesitant to give the two boys candy. The lady at the door stared at them with confusion–and most likely concern–in her eyes. Though concerned, she gave each of them various king-sized candy bars and told them to enjoy the rest of their night.

The second house, a house with no decorations, was not so nice. They took one look at Race’s outfit and shut the door.

Many houses later, Race and Elmer headed back to their apartment with bags full of candy. They had big smiles slapped on their faces. 

As soon as they entered the apartment, they dropped the candy on the counter. Race showed no hesitation to attack Elmer, transferring as much glitter as he could before being pushed off. 

They both took showers and changed their outfits. Elmer had no problem getting the paint off. Race, however, could not get rid of the glitter. 

When they were both in pajamas, they hopped into bed and snuggled close to each other. Race wrapped his arms around Elmer and let him move closer. “Today was fun.”

“It was,” Elmer said, smiling. “I’m glad we got to go.” He chuckled to himself. “I don’t think anything topped that woman’s face. I couldn’t tell if it was because we were witches or if it was because you were in a dress.”

“Both,” Race replied, leaving a kiss on the top of Elmer’s head. “It was definitely both.”

“Either way, it was memorable.”

Race rubbed small circles on Elmer’s back and rested his forehead against his. “Elmer?”

Elmer looked up at Race, his big, brown eyes showing how tired he was. “Yes?”

“I love you.”

Squinty eyes accompanied Elmer’s wide grin. “I love you, too.”


	3. Modern Relmer HCs (part 1)

  * Met when they became roommates in college
  * Race asked Elmer out first
  * Elmer literally talks about Race all day every day
  * Race and Elmer listen to musicals together
  * Race gets Elmer tickets to see his favorite musical
  * Elmer’s favorite musical is SpongeBob
  * PDA that makes the others uncomfortable
  * “We get it, you’re adorable. Now get a room.”
  * “Shut up, Romeo. Just because you can’t get any doesn’t mean everyone has to be unhappy.”
  * Disney marathons once a month
  * Harry Potter marathons twice a month
  * Duets
  * “Elmer, what are you wearing?”
  * Elmer, walking into the room with an Elmo onesie: “Fashion, Race.”
  * Elmer is now “Elmo” in Race’s phone
  * Race is “Racecrap” in Elmer’s phone after an incident that no one brings up. Ever.
  * Race once choked on his drink because he forgot to swallow before he took a breath
  * Elmer hasn’t let him live it down
  * “How did you even make it to college, Race?”
  * Cuddles
  * Race always ends up being the little spoon
  * Even though he’s a full head taller than Elmer
  * They attend pride parades together
  * The other boys act grossed out by the PDA, but most actually find it adorable
  * They are both the biggest idiots




	4. Modern Relmer HCs (part 2)

  * Race knows how anxious Elmer can get if confronted with a stressful situation so he helps whenever he can.
  * Elmer hates confrontation. He avoids it whenever possible.
  * Race ~~has fought~~ will fight someone to keep Elmer his happiest.
  * When it rains they run around outside.
  * Then they come inside and cuddle to warm up.
  * They like the closeness of sleeping in the same bed.
  * Just touching Race makes Elmer less anxious.
  * Race doesn’t wear cologne at all because Elmer has bad allergies.
  * When Christmas comes around, they go all out.
  * Like Christmas lights are everywhere in and out of the house.
  * They buy all of their friends a present so they don’t have to be presentless at Christmas.
  * Game nights every Friday.
  * Movie nights on Saturdays.
  * Elmer’s mom adores Race and cares for him like he’s her son.
  * Elmer and Race are almost always together.
  * When they aren’t, they are counting the minutes until they see each other again.




	5. Happy Ending Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I wrote this back in July so I'm sorry for how bad it is compared to my other stuff)

Elmer was waiting in his apartment. He was trying to distract himself from biting the skin on his fingers, but he was worried out of his mind. It’s been three hours since Race ran out of the house. Did he say the wrong thing? Was he rushing the relationship?

Elmer curled into the corner of the couch. It was the spot where they would cuddle and watch scary movies. He wondered if he would ever be able to do that again. He was scared that he messed up the one thing that truly brought him joy. He grabbed the closest pillow and cried softly into the fabric. Soft crying turned into hard sobbing. He balled his fists in anger and threw the pillow. It barely missed the lamp on the table.

Elmer picked up his phone, contemplating on whether to call his boyfriend, if you could even call him that now. He started imagining the conversation he feared. He would try to make things right, but Race would reject him, and Elmer would be alone. The mere thought of it made Elmer sick to his stomach. His anxiety was taking over his mind. He started feeling light headed. He just hoped he didn’t screw up his one chance at happiness. He listened to the storm outside, and he twirled his phone in his fingers.

~

The minute Race ran out of the house, he regretted it. It wasn’t Elmer’s fault, and he knew that. He didn’t know if Elmer knew it. He was probably beating himself up over it. He started walking to the only place that he could clear his mind. He held his tears the entire way, only to release them when Albert opened his door. “Al, I screwed up.”

Albert wrapped his best friend in a hug and led him to the couch. “What happened? Is it Elmer? Is he hurt?”

Race couldn’t gain control of his breathing. “H-h-he asked me something and I panicked and ran out.”

Albert’s eyes grew wide. “Did he….” He motioned to his hand.

Race shook his head. “He asked me to move in with him, Al.”

Albert smiled at his best friend. “That’s amazing, Race. What caused you to panic?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just never had a relationship that serious before. I mean, I’ve always been scared of rushing a relationship and screwing it up. I feel like I screwed this one up big time.”

Albert was about to say something when he heard a storm outside. “Well, you can stay here as long as you need to so you can calm down. You should probably wait for the storm to pass.”

Race nodded and lay down. He could feel the guilt rising in his chest. He could only imagine the way he made Elmer feel. He started dozing off, and he drifted into a nightmare.

In the nightmare, Elmer was standing in a corner. Race moved closer and saw that Elmer was crying in a glass container. It was filling with water, and there was almost no room for air. He tried to break the glass, but the container filled faster. He could see Elmer look up for a second before the container was full. He was looking into Elmer’s eyes, but they weren’t full of life the way they used to be. Elmer was gone, and there was nothing Race could do to fix it.

Race threw himself off of the couch with racking sobs. He ran out of the house and into the storm. He couldn’t tell if his cheeks were wet from the rain or from his tears. All he could feel was the tightness in his chest as he sprinted to Elmer’s house. He saw the door and collapsed at the doorstep. He stood shakily before pounding on the door.

~

Elmer could hear fists beating on the door. He wanted to know who was crazy enough to be out in a storm like this. Part of him wanted it to be Race, but the other part of him knew that Race was gone forever. There was no getting him back. When he opened the door, Race was standing right there, soaking wet. His eyes were red and puffy.

“I screwed everything up, Elmer.”

Elmer pulled Race inside and hugged him tightly. “I thought I lost you.”

Race buried his face into Elmer’s neck. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have run out on you.”

Elmer cried into Race’s shoulder. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have rushed you into that.”

Race shook his head and pushed himself off of Elmer to look into his eyes. “You did nothing wrong. I panicked. I was scared. I was never in a serious relationship like this before. I didn’t want to screw it up, but I screwed it up anyway.”

Elmer leaned his forehead onto Race’s. “It’ll take more than that to get rid of me.”

Race pulled Elmer in for a kiss. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

Race hugged Elmer and breathed in his cologne. It wasn’t strong, but it was _him_. “About that question….”

Elmer smiled. “Is that a yes?”

Race kissed Elmer again. “Yes, I would love to move in with you.”


	6. Sad Ending Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This was my first attempt at angst with a sad ending so bear with it)
> 
> TW for blood/death

Everything turned to slow motion. Words were no longer audible, vision was blurry, and sound was unable to pass his lips. He sat on the edge of the couch while a frantic Albert spoke. He blocked out every single sentence after the first one.

_Race was in a hit and run as a pedestrian._

Elmer got to his feet and felt tears come to his eyes. “Where is he?”

Albert looked at his friend and saw the brokenness in his face. He saw the dull expression behind his eyes and the red, puffy skin around them. He took in note how raw the emotion was in this moment for Elmer. “They rushed him off in an ambulance. He lost a lot of blood. The doctors are trying to keep him stable, but he didn’t look good. They don’t think he’ll make it through the night.”

Elmer looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearing nine o’clock. “Can you take me to see him?”

Albert’s heart broke for his friend, but he wanted his friend to have more time with his boyfriend before it was too late. “Yeah, c’mon. I’ll drive you.” Albert led Elmer to his truck and drove him to the hospital.

Elmer could feel his insides clenching up and getting colder. He felt a new wave of tears build up and fall down his cheeks. He sobbed and felt Albert squeeze his hand to comfort him. “I don’t want it to end like this, Al.” He felt his breath catch in his throat. “I don’t want to lose him.”

Albert softly squeezed his hand and slowly increased his speed to the maximum he could legally drive. He wanted to get there fast. “I don’t either, Elmer.” He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and ran Elmer inside. They barely caught the rain as it poured. He and Albert were both soaked by the time they were inside.

Elmer felt his stomach drop when he heard Albert asking for the room. He could hear the nurse reply with the words “family” and “critical”.

“Listen, miss,” Albert said, losing his polite tone. “He’s like family to us. We’ve known each other pretty much our entire lives and this is his boyfriend here. He wants to see him _before_  it gets worse, yeah? It would be much obliged if you could let us see him now. Especially since the one that rode over here with him isn’t family, either.”

The nurse looked Albert and Elmer in their eyes and reluctantly led them to the room where they were holding him. “He suffered a spinal injury, head trauma, and he has crushed ribs and internal bleeding. He’s unconscious, and he most likely won’t wake back up. He can still hear you, so I would suggest you start saying your goodbyes.” She walked out and shut the door.

Elmer looked at JoJo in the corner, and then turned his attention back to Race. “Race?” He walked to the edge of the hospital bed and saw the blank expression on his boyfriend’s face. He already looked dead. “Race, it’s me. It’s Elmer. Can you hear me?”

If Race could hear Elmer, there was no show. He never moved a muscle. His heart rate was low, and felt like it was getting slower and slower. Elmer continued talking to him and every time Elmer spoke, his heart rate spiked for a second. Everything else was completely and utterly still.

“Race, can you hear me?” Elmer held his hand and looked at the emotionless face of the boy he loved. “I need you to wake up, Race. I need you. We need you.” He sobbed and brought Race’s hand up to kiss it. “Please.”

The heart monitor started flatlining and Elmer was frozen in shock. He didn’t know what to do, and he was staring at Race’s lifeless features as Albert called for the nurses and doctors. They gently pulled Elmer aside and attempted to resuscitate Race. After a few minutes, and no success, they stopped. They apologized for their loss and turned off all of the machines.

Elmer cried into Albert’s shirt and wrapped his arms around his neck. “He’s gone, Al.” He sobbed and tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and soaked the front of his friend’s shirt in tears.

Albert held his friend and comforted him, trying to hold back his own tears. He could feel Elmer’s body shake with wracking sobs. “I’m so sorry, Elmer.”

“This isn’t fair, Al.”

“I know.”

Elmer ran out of the room and didn’t hear Albert go after him. He ran from the building and collapsed on the pavement outside. He sobbed into the ground and felt Albert kneel beside him. “It isn’t fair.” 

Albert rubbed Elmer’s back and hugged him. He felt his tears soak his cheeks as he comforted his friend. “No, it isn’t.”


	7. Just some fluff 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This was to make up for the Sad Ending Angst and it's agonizingly short so I apologize)

Elmer struggled to get out from under Race on the couch. “Get off, Race,” Elmer grumbled, failing to push his boyfriend’s deadweight off of him. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Race rolled his eyes and reluctantly pushed himself off of the brunet. “You’re boring.” He smiled at Elmer’s reaction. “Just come back quickly.” He watched as his boyfriend left the room. “I miss you already!”

“Shut up, Race!” Elmer yelled back, laughing at the boy in the other room. He could hear Race’s exaggerated grumbles and complaints. “That’s not going to get me in there faster.” He washed his hands and took his time walking back into the room. 

“It’s about time,” Race said, grinning from ear to ear. He waited for him to be at the edge of the couch before pulling him back down. He climbed back on top of his boyfriend and stared into his chocolate brown eyes. “I was beginning to think you forgot about me.”

“Shut up,” Elmer said, staring back into Race’s baby blue eyes.

Race smirked. “Make me.”

Elmer smiled and pulled Race into a kiss. He could feel Race laughing into his lips and he pulled him closer. He could feel his boyfriend’s fingers rake through his hair. “I love you so much.”

Race smiled and pulled his brunet boyfriend in for another kiss. “I love you so much, too.”


	8. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This was written back in May when I was first starting to write stuff. Someone requested this prompt with them so I did my best on it.)

It was a normal day at the lodging house, or at least as normal as they could get. Race was making his bed when heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Elmer walking towards him.

“Hey, Race,” he said, awkwardly leaning against the bedpost.

“Uh…hi?” Race was very confused as to what was going on. He never noticed Elmer acting like this before. 

“What are you planning on doing later?” Elmer was acting strange, especially for Elmer. The face he was making almost made him look constipated.

“What are you doing?” Race asked, trying not to show his confusion on his face.

“Nothing,” Elmer replied, pushing himself off of the bedpost. His cheeks started turning pink. “Why do you ask?”

Race started laughing. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“No.” Elmer said it too quick, and turned away from Race. “Of course not.”

Race turned Elmer back around. “Did you ask Romeo for advice?”

Elmer’s cheeks flushed even brighter. “Maybe…?”

Race smiled. “He’s the last person you should be going to for flirting advice. He’s an idiot.” He smiled in satisfaction when he heard Romeo’s defensive yelling from across the room.

Elmer put his head down and laughed. “Noted.”

“Now, about that question.” He lifted Elmer’s chin up. “I’m not doing anything later. Do you want to grab something at Jacobi’s?”

Elmer grinned and took Race’s hand. “I’d love to.”


	9. "Everyday words seem to turn into love songs"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This was one of the first ones I wrote)

Elmer was on his way to Race’s house. He wanted to spend some missed time with his boyfriend. He could faintly hear the sounds of a song floating through the air. It was a love song, as far as he could tell. Just the way it sounded, and the way it played, had all of the makings of a love song.

_“Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and everything you do, yeah they were all yellow.”_

Elmer could recognize the song now. “Yellow” by Coldplay. It was one of his favorites. He was humming the song to himself until he reached Race’s house. 

Race answered the door with a smile and a big hug. “Thank you for coming, Elmer.” He kissed his boyfriend and led him inside. “What do you want to do first? Cuddle? TV? Video games? I’m cool with anything.”

Elmer wrapped his arms around Race. “I just want to cuddle. I’ve had a stressful day.”

Race returned the hug and put his face in Elmer’s hair. The significant height difference was Race’s favorite thing in the world. “Cuddle it is.” He sat on the couch and let Elmer find his way into his arms.

Elmer began to softly sing the song that he had stuck in his head. He was singing his favorite part. “Do you know for you I’d bleed myself dry?”

“What song is that?” Race asked.

“It’s called ‘Yellow’ by the band Coldplay.” Elmer smiled to himself. “It’s one of my favorite songs.”

“Everyday words seem to turn into love songs,” Race said. He kissed Elmer on the top of his head. “What other songs have you listened to recently?”

Elmer turned around and kissed Race on the lips. “None that I can think of, really. I heard that one on the way over here.” He snuggled closer into his arms. “I’m glad I got to come over.”

Race smiled and hugged his boyfriend tighter. “I am, too.”


	10. Ring Pop Proposal

“C’mon, Race,” Elmer grumbled. “We were supposed to be at the park a half hour ago. We’re losing daylight!”

Race made his way into the living room. “Elmer, it is not even noon yet and it’s the middle of summer. We have plenty of daylight left.” He kissed Elmer on the cheek and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

On the way to the park, Elmer was pointing out every dog that they passed. He got really excited when it was two dogs. “Race, look at this one! He has spots!”

“I can’t look, Elmer, I’m driving.”

Elmer was bouncing with excitement. His bouncing caused a lot of playful shoves from Race.

“Stop bouncing, Elmer, it’s distracting.”

Elmer stuck his tongue out. “Your face is distracting.”

Race sighed. “That makes no sense, Elmer.”

“Your face makes no sense.”

“How many times are you going to do that?”

“How many times is your face going to do that?”

“Whatever, Elmer,” Race laughed. He continued driving until they reached the park. “We’re here.”

Elmer left the car so fast you wouldn’t have known he was there. He ran around to Race’s side before Race could even open his door. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.” He almost dragged Race from the car and ran to a shady spot under a tree.

“Elmer,” Race said, “you are acting like you’re five.”

Elmer smiled. “I’m five at heart.”

“You sure are.” Race flopped onto his back beside Elmer and laced their fingers together. “What does that cloud look like Elmer?” Race reached into his pocket while Elmer was thinking. The sound of a crinkling candy wrapper got Elmer’s attention.

“Is that candy?” Elmer sat up. “You better have brought enough to share.”

Race sat up and grinned at Elmer while hiding the Ring Pop. “I love you.”

Elmer smiled back. “I love you, too. Now give me the candy.” He tried snatching at the hand behind Race’s back but missed and knocked Race to the ground.

Race held up the Ring Pop before it got grass on it. “Marry me.”

Elmer sat back up. “What?”

Race picked himself up from the ground and knelt in front of Elmer. “Marry me.”

Elmer looked at the Ring Pop and back at Race. “For real?”

Race smiled. “For real.”

Elmer cried and flung his arms around Race. “Yes.” He kissed Race and hugged him tighter.

“Do you still want the candy?” Race asked.

Elmer laughed through his tears before kissing Race again. “Screw the candy.”


	11. "Do you think trees look down on us and think, 'sup, losers'?"

“Race, will you please get out of the tree?” Elmer pleaded. “We are at a public place.”

Race stuck his tongue out at Elmer and went up another branch. “The view looks so much better up here.” He smiled and sat back on the trunk. “It’s like I’m on top of the world.”

Elmer covered his face with his hands. “You are the saddest person I’ve ever met.”

“Yet you’re still with me?”

Elmer smiled. “Yeah, because I’m a pretty sad person myself.”

“Aww,” Race groaned, hanging from the trees by his legs. “Don’t say that. I find you to be very pleasant.”

Elmer playfully scoffed. “Oh, well if _you_  say so.”

“Hey,” Race said, “you think trees look down at us and think, ‘sup losers’?”

Elmer rolled his eyes. “I think they look down at you and think that.”

“Ouch.” Race held his heart. “That hurt.”

Elmer grabbed Race’s hand. “Now what are you going to do?”

Race smirked and dropped onto Elmer. He was expecting Elmer to break his fall, but ended up falling into his arms. “I should’ve seen that coming. I guess…”

“Don’t you dare say ‘I fell for you’ I swear to God.”

Race leaned in and kissed Elmer. “I already did that.”


	12. "Oh, big deal, have some soda and calm down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This was a request)

“For the last time, Race, you’re wrong!”

Race yelled in frustration as he banged his fist against the wall. “How am I wrong, Elmer?”

“Because HAN shot first.”

“We literally just watched this scene. The other guy shot first, okay?”

Elmer groaned and slammed his hand on the table. “Stay right there I’m getting my copy of the movie.” He ran into the room.

“What does a copy have to do with anything?” Race yelled back. When Elmer didn’t answer, he raised his voice. “What does a copy have to do with anything?”

Elmer stormed out of the room with a VHS in his hand. “That copy was digitally remastered and made it look like the other guy shot first. This copy is the original. Han shoots first.”

“Whatever, Elmer,” Race grumbled. “Just put the stupid movie in and we’ll see who’s right.”

Elmer smirked. “You willing to bet, Racer?”

Race put his head down. “No.”

“And why’s that?”

“I don’t want you to lose any money on top of your dignity.”

Elmer laughed and put the movie in. “Watch it and weep, Race.” He fast forwarded the movie to the part in question and made Race pay attention. “See.” When Han shot, Race threw his popcorn at the screen.

“That’s not fair!”

Elmer rolled his eyes. “Oh, big deal, have some soda and calm down.”

Race threw the popcorn at Elmer. “Don’t tell me to calm down.”

Elmer wrapped his arms around Race. “I will tell you to calm down.” He planted a kiss on Race’s cheek. “You just hate being wrong.”

Race leaned his head back and smiled. “You’re just a buttface.”

“But I’m _your_  buttface.”

Race smiled and leaned into Elmer. “Ya got that right.”


	13. "I can't see anything." "Hold on, I'll set something on fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I apologize for the convenient parts)

The room had no light. At all. It was dark, damp, and deserted. Where did everyone go? Did they leave? Did something happen to them? The empty room echoed with the drips from the leaking ceiling.

Elmer was blind at this point. There was nothing he could do. Race was gone to find the main breaker for the power, and that was on the other side of the building. Since he couldn’t see, he couldn’t move. He needed to make as little noise as possible.

At that moment, there was a loud screeching and a thump on the floor. There was a groan and heavy breathing. It was Race.

“ _Race_ ,” Elmer hissed. He tried to see if any new light source was available, but there wasn’t. “We need to be silent. They could be here at any minute. We need to get out. Everyone is gone and we could be next. What happened with the breaker?”

“Oh, uh, I fell as a result from looking for the breaker.”

“Oh, Jesus.”

“Relax,” Race said. “I can totally get us out.”

“Really?” Elmer sarcastically turned his head to make it look like he was checking for a door, but remembered that it was too dark to see anything. “I can’t see anything.”

“Hold on, I’ll set something on fire.” Race pulled the lighter out of his pocket and turned it on. He started pointing it at different objects, but they wouldn’t light. “Why is everything wet?”

“I don’t know, but now we can’t use anything to see our way out.” Elmer leaned his head back and hit a chair. “Ow.”

“I got an idea.” Race held his lighter up. “Elmer, take off your shirt.”

“Are you really doing this here?”

“Shut up. I need something to burn.”

“Uh, no.” Elmer took a scoot back from Race. “It’s your idea. _You_  take your shirt off.”

Race rolled his eyes and slid his shirt off. “Goodbye, muscle tee. It’s been nice wearing you.” He felt around for a stick. “Is there a stick or something that I could wrap this around?”

Elmer felt around and found what felt like an umbrella. “I don’t know why this umbrella is in here, but be thankful it is.” He handed it to Race and sat back.

Race started wrapping his shirt around the umbrella and turned his lighter back on. “Here’s to getting out.” He set the shirt on fire and stepped back as the flame grew quickly. “We don’t have long. We need to get moving if we’re going to find an exit.”

Elmer followed his boyfriend’s lead and looked for a door on the wall. “Ooh, there.” He pointed to a frame in the wall and ran for it. He watched Race get closer and he smiled. “Let’s get out of here.”


	14. Night Swims and Pool Pizza

The night was quiet. The only sound in the air was the chirping of crickets, and faint sounds of cicadas were filling the empty space. Race and Elmer were in the living room, finishing up movie night.

Elmer ran his fingers through the curly, blond mop of hair in his lap. “Want to know what I’m in the mood for?”

Race looked up at his boyfriend. “Food? Please say food. I’m starving.”

“Pizza.”

“We can make some!” Race shot up out of Elmer’s lap and pulled him up. “I have a recipe I got from my mom.”

“At midnight? Come on, Race.” Elmer let Race lead him to the kitchen. “This better not take too long. I was going to tell you that I also wanted to go swimming.”

“At night?”

“You’ve never been night swimming?” Elmer made a fake offended face. “It’s the best time to swim!”

“Can we make the pizza first?” Race wrapped his arms around Elmer’s waist and looked at him with a pout. “I’m hungry.”

Elmer kissed Race’s forehead and smiled. “Of course.”

They got all of their ingredients together, and Elmer made the dough while Race made the sauce. It went by faster than what Elmer expected, and when the pizzas were done, Race was more than excited to eat.

“Let’s eat it in the pool,” Elmer suggested.

“You’re so weird.”

“What? I’ve eaten Taco Bell in a pool. Pizza is no different.”

Race rolled his eyes. “Fine. You win. We’ll bring this out.”

The two got dressed into swim clothes and brought their pizza outside by the pool. Elmer turned on an overhead light and hopped in before Race, and Race kept the pizza a safe distance from the edge before jumping in himself. 

“Holy Christ that’s cold!” 

Elmer laughed at Race and splashed him. “You’ll get used to it.” He grabbed a slice of pizza and took a large bite. “Oh, my God. That’s amazing!”

Race smiled. “It’s all in the sauce. It’s a secret recipe that’s been handed down for a few generations.”

“What’s the secret?”

“It’s a secret. I’m not telling you.”

“Boo.” Elmer finished the slice and ducked under the water. He surfaced in front of Race. “Have some fun. Don’t just stand there.”

Race pushed Elmer’s wet hair out of his face. “What do you normally do?”

“Whatever I want.”

“In that case….” Race shoved Elmer backward into the water and swam in the opposite direction. He stopped by the pizza to grab a slice. “You’re right. We did do good.”

Elmer stood back up and shook his head, sending water droplets flying everywhere. “You’re unbelievable.”

Race shrugged. “You said to have fun and do whatever I wanted, so I did.” He didn’t try to hide his smug smile. “What are you going to do about it?”

Elmer went back under the water and swam to Race. He emerged behind him and pushed him in, laughing at the surprised scream he let out.

“Not funny,” he said as he got back up.

“It was pretty funny.” He walked to Race and pushed his hair back. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re gorgeous with your hair pushed back?”

Race looked down and smiled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re gorgeous when you’re caught off guard?” He tried to push Elmer, but he felt him grab his hands and pull him under with him. He pushed himself up and saw Elmer emerge beside him. 

“Not funny, El.”

“You’re the one that pushed me.”

“But I didn’t expect you to pull me in with you.”

Elmer put his hands on Race’s cheeks. “I love you so much.”

Race smiled and pulled him in for a small kiss. “I love you, too.”


End file.
